Share of Cost, Federal News Digest for March 29, 2012

Monday, Sep. 17th 2012 9:17 AM

Washington Post

On health-care hearing’s last day, Supreme Court weighs Medicaid expansion [Supreme Court, Affordable Care Act] – Robert Barnes and N.C. Aizenman report that three days of arguments before the Supreme Court on the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act left the impression that the conservative Justices would carry the day and strike down the law’s requirement that almost everyone purchase of health insurance, and possibly strike down the entire law; the last day’s argument addressed the ACA provision that expands the Medicaid program for the poor by promising more federal money to states if they cover more individuals, which states argue is tantamount to blackmail

New York Times

Language deemed offensive is removed from F.B.I. training manuals [FBI] – Michael S. Schmidt and Charlie Savage report that FBI training manuals addressing Arab-Americans and Muslims that suggested agents could “bend” the law if necessary and interfere with their individual freedoms has been removed, as has derogatory stereotypes about Asians and Arabs in the training materials

Union chief says new rules for immigration detention are flawed [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] – Julia Preston reports that the union representing employees of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency, who are responsible for detaining illegal immigrants subject to deportation, told a House Judiciary Subcommittee that the administration’s new rules for detention centers – a response to harsh conditions that led to deaths – would make the system more dangerous to ICE agents and detainees

The radon threat is still with us [Environmental Protection Agency, radon] – Bill Field, professor of occupational and environmental health at the University of Iowa, urges the EPA and Congress to step up efforts to reduce exposure to radon – a known cause of lung cancer – including providing funds for radon testing in homes and schools

Wall Street Journal

U.S. military commanders move to mend Pakistan rift [Pakistan] – Tom Wright reports that the highest level U.S. military commanders in the region met with senior Pakistani military commanders for the first time since the U.S. accidentally killed two dozen Pakistani troops near the Afghan border in November and Pakistan closed vital supply routes to the U.S. and NATO, although lower level meetings have continued; he reports that the two countries’ mutual needs have kept a rupture in relations from widening

Federal budgets and class warfare [federal budget] – As Congress once again grapples with the deficit, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg argues that only a serious deficit reduction plan will spur businesses to invest in the economy, and he supports the Simpson-Bowles commission’s plan that caps spending, slows the growth in entitlement programs such as Social Security and raises revenue via tax reform; Bloomberg says the President’s proposal to eliminate the Bush-era tax cuts for all but the wealthiest doesn’t make a dent in the deficit, while Republican presidential candidates have not offered realistic deficit reduction plans

Posted on Monday, Sep. 17th 2012 9:17 AM | by Share of Cost | in Share of Cost | Comments Off on Share of Cost, Federal News Digest for March 29, 2012